


Piano Man

by juicytree21



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Avengers AU, Avengers in a bar, F/M, Hulkeye - Freeform, M/M, SamNat - Freeform, Stucky - Freeform, mysterious piano player
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-07-24 12:04:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7507591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juicytree21/pseuds/juicytree21
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Huge thanks to ravenwolf36 for beta'ing this story! I also highly suggest listening to Piano Man by Billy Joel as you read.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Piano Man

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thanks to ravenwolf36 for beta'ing this story! I also highly suggest listening to Piano Man by Billy Joel as you read.

Nick Fury was sitting at the bar with his coat draped on the back of the chair next to him. The bar was buzzing with activity and shitty pop music was playing. He takes a sip of his drink and ignored the man who sat down next to him.

“Bad night?” The guy asked. Nick just grunted and barely turned to look at him. 

“Same for me. I’ve been playing all night and I’ve barely made any tips.” He gestured to the piano across the bar.

“You’re the pianist?” Nick asked.

“Sure am. Got any requests?” Nick smiled.

“There’s a song I used to love but I don’t remember the melody or the lyrics. It was a great song though.” The pianist smiled and stood from the bar.

“I think I know what song you’re talking about.” Nick frowned.

“How?” The pianist smirked.

“It’s a secret.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Clint was wiping down the bar when ‘ _I Can Let Go Now_ ’ ended. The older guy at the bar seemed to be tearing up when he threw a twenty on the bar and moved to a different seat across the bar. Clint just smiled and stuck the bill in the cash register.

“Can I get a light?” Clint pulled out his lighter and turned to see the pianist sitting at the bar with a cigarette hanging off his lip. Clint lit it and the man inhaled.

“You don’t strike me as someone who smokes. That’s probably how you get your voice so raspy, right?” The pianist nodded and took another puff of his cigarette. 

“You’ve been playing here for weeks. Am I ever gonna learn your name? You can’t keep calling yourself Piano Man. You’re clearly ripping off Billy Joel.” The man laughed.

“That’s the point. So what’s your story? Tending bar? You seem too clever for that.” Clint’s smile fell and he went back to wiping the bar down.

“This place is gonna be the death of me. I’m never gonna get out of this damn bar. I really want to be a cop but…I don’t have a diploma. So I’m stuck at this godforsaken place.” 

“You can do it, Clint. I know you can.” He grinned and Clint’s smiled returned. 

Clint didn’t even notice that the piano playing stranger knew his name.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steve was sitting in a booth, talking to a miserable looking man who was dressed in a military uniform. The guy seemed to have a permanent scowl on his face. Despite the scowl though, he was flirting mercilessly with Steve.

Steve was blushing every few seconds and the handsome stranger was slowly inching closer to him. Their faces were inches away as the stranger placed a hand on Steve’s thigh. They were too busy gazing into each other’s eyes and they didn’t notice someone sit down at a table a few feet away from them.

“I’m gonna head to the bar and get something to drink. Want one?” Steve told the stranger what he wanted to drink and the man winked at him before standing from the booth.

“So that’s why you’re single? You like handsome soldiers.” Steve looked up and saw the pianist sitting down, drinking something bright blue.

“I like nice people. And he’s nice.” Steve said defensively. The man threw up his hands in mock surrender.

“I’m not judging. But you should probably learn the nice strangers’ name, Steve. Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes. He prefers Bucky though.” The man stood from the table, leaving his half empty drink behind. 

The soldier returned a few minutes later, with both drinks in his hands and a smile finally on his face. Steve smiled up at him and took the drink.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The pianist headed to the bar after chatting with Steve. A woman was sitting at the bar chatting with three men in suits. He’d never seen the four of them in the bar before but he knew who they were. The woman pushed her red hair out her eyes and turned her attention back to the open textbook in front of her.

“School?” he asked, sitting a stool away from her. She nodded, not turning her attention from her book.

“What’s your major?” She glanced up at him.

“Major in political science. Minor in socioeconomics.” He smiled and patted her shoulder.

“Good for you.” She seemed hesitant before offering him a tense smile.

The men on the other side of her were talking quietly as they passed a joint around. Their ties were loose and the man who seemed to be the head of the group was gesturing wildly with his hands. 

“I’m telling you, Bruce. Flying toasters are the future.” Bruce chuckled.

“You’re high already, Tony? That’s weak.” The other man in the group mumbled. Tony waved him off.

“Shut up, Sam. I’m not high yet. I’m stating great ideas. And flying toasters are a great idea.” Sam shook his head and laughed.

“You’re an idiot.” The woman chuckled and Tony grinned at her.

“Care for a puff? Might make your studying easier?” Sam smacked Tony on the arm.

“Don’t flirt. I’ll tell Pepper.” 

“I’m not flirting. I’m offering our new friend, Natasha some grade A, quality weed.” He held out the joint and she stared at it for a second before grabbing it and taking a puff.

Tony cheered and she passed the joint back. Bruce was talking to Clint and Sam was flirting with Natasha, who had pushed her books to the side. 

The pianist watched as they all, minus Bruce, got stoned, and pretended not to notice when Clint slid his number across the bar to Bruce. Natasha was chatting with Sam and scribbled her number on his arm before packing up her things and moving to a table.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After he played a rendition of ‘ _Come On, Eileen_ ’, he stood from the piano. He sat on the stool on the stage and took a sip from his water bottle. The manager, Thor waved to him from across the bar and he waved back. 

Thor was constantly asking him to perform but he hadn’t told him that it was his last night there. He knew he was good for business but the bar no longer needed him. They would make it on their own. 

He sat back down on the piano bench and cracked his knuckles. He pulled the microphone slightly closer to him and cleared his throat. A few people turned to look at him and he smiled.

“This is my last song. I’m sure it’s a song that most of you know. And I think it’s perfect for the crowd that’s here tonight.” His fingers touched the keys and the opening notes to ‘ _Piano Man_ filled the room. 

“ _It’s 9 o’clock on a Saturday, the regular crowd shuffles in._ ” A few more heads turned and he smiled as he continued singing.

“ _There's an old man sitting next to me, makin' love to his tonic and gin._ ” Nick glanced up from his drink and frowned.

“ _He says, "Son, can you play me a memory, I'm not really sure how it goes. But it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete. When I wore a younger man's clothes."_ ” Nick looked shocked and downed the rest of his drink.

“ _Sing us a song, you're the piano man. Sing us a song tonight. Well, we're all in the mood for a melody. And you've got us feelin' alright._ ” 

“ _Now John at the bar is a friend of mine, he gets me my drinks for free. And he's quick with a joke or to light up your smoke, but there's someplace that he'd rather be. He says, "Bill, I believe this is killing me." As the smile ran away from his face. "Well I'm sure that I could be a movie star. If I could get out of this place"_ ” Clint’s mouth was agape and some of the patrons at the bar were staring at him. He shook his head and leaned against the bar to focus on the rest of the performance.

“ _Now Paul is a real estate novelist, who never had time for a wife. And he's talkin' with Davy, who's still in the Navy. And probably will be for life._ ” Steve and Bucky had stopped talking and were now watching the pianist with rapt attention, occasionally looking at each other with surprise.

“ _And the waitress is practicing politics, as the businessmen slowly get stoned. Yes, they're sharing a drink they call loneliness. But it's better than drinkin' alone._ ” Bruce looked shocked and Tony and Sam even looked surprised in their intoxicated state. Natasha had pushed her books aside and was staring intensely. Sam and her passed each other a look before turning their attention back to him.

“ _It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday, and the manager gives me a smile, ‘cause he knows that it's me they've been comin' to see. To forget about life for a while._ ” Thor clapped and the pianist smiled.

" _And the piano sounds like a carnival! And the microphone smell like a beer! And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar and say, "Man, what are you doing here?"_ " He looked up to see the people in the bar trading glances with one another.

“ _Sing us a song you're the piano man! Sing us a song tonight! Well we're all in the mood for a melody! And you got us feeling alright._ ” The song ended with a flourish and he stood from the piano to shocked applause. He grabbed his jacket and tip jar off of the top of the piano and barely stopped to look over his shoulder as he exited the bar.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy! Chapter seven of Eyes Wide Shut (for those who read) will hopefully be re-uploaded soon and I'll be posting the first chapter of a Stucky Au sometime this week. 
> 
> And the big reveal! "Piano Man" is.........Loki! Not really a huge surprise but I thought it would work. He's clearly more like how he acted in Thor 2. Not The Avengers. He was a dick in The Avengers. I love him but it's true


End file.
